needham



2 Sheets-Shet 1.

(No Model.)

B. P. N EEDHAM. PNEUMATIC RAILWAY AND GAR THEREFOR. No. 268,715.Patented Dec. 5, 1882.

N. PETERS. FholoLilhogHpher. Washington. nv c.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2-.

A E. P. NE'EDH AM.

PNEUMATIC RAILWAY AND GAR THEREFOR. I

No. 268,715.. Patented Deo. 5, 1882.

bibwsses N. PETERS. Phulo'Ldhogra her. Waxhinglon. D, C

UNITED STATES PATENT anion.

ELIAS P. NEEDHAM, NEW YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC RAILWAY AND CAR THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 268,715, dated December5, 1882.

' Application filed February 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

plying compressed air-to the tube behind the cars; but certain featuresof the invention are applicable to railways in which the cars areimpelled solely by compressing the air behind .them or solely byexhausting the air in advance of them.

The'inve'ntion consists in thecombination, with a pneumatic-railway tubeand two gates or valves therefor, forming between them a station, atwhich a car may be stopped, of a branch air-tube communicating with saidmain tube behind and in advance of said gates or valves, a pump in saidbranch air-tube, and a pipe for conducting air from the discharge ofsaid pump to the main tube between said gates or valves and in rear of acar for the purpose of starting the same.

The invention also consists in the combination, with a pneumatic-railwaytube provided with pairs of gates forming stations between -them, and apump for compressing air, of a ,pnmp a vacuum-equalizing chamber fromwhich the air is exhausted by the pump, and

pressure-equalizing chamber, into which air is forced by said pump, andfrom which the compressed air is conducted to said tubeout-j side thegates, whereby I provide for maintaining a more uniform pressure in saidtube behind the cars.

Where the cars are impelled solely by exhausting air from the tube inadvance of them I combine with the tube and which communicates with thetube outside the gates; and in case cars are to be impelled bytwoterminal stations, providing for traflic in opposite directions, andprovided with pairs of gates forming stations between them, of pressureand vacuum equalizing chambers at each station, the former communicatingwith the tube for outgoing traffic outside said pairs of gates, and thelatter communicating with the tube for incoming traffic outside saidpairsof gates, and a pump at each station for exhausting air from. thevacuum-chamber and compressingitinthepressure-chamber. Where the twotubes are parallel the pumps in the above combinationmay be used withoutthe pressure and vacuum chambers.

The invention also consists in the combination,with a pneumatierailwaytube containing a'car-track, and having guide-rails upon its sides andupper portion, of cars adapted to run upon said track, and provided withguide rollers or wheels for running upon said guiderails.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan partly insection of a pneumatic-railway tube embodying my invention. Fig. 2represents a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of saidtube at one of the stations,-showing a car therein and upon a largerscale. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view upon a larger scaleof a tubefor such railway. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of one of thecars upon the same scale as Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a partly-sectionalplan of a railway similar to that shown in Fig. 1, with the additionofpressure and vacuum equalizing chambers; and Fig. 6 represents asectional plan of a railway also embodying my invention, and comprisingtwo tubes extending between terminal stations, and providing for tratficin opposite directions.

Similar lettersof reference designate corre- I sponding parts in all thefigures.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, A designates a tube, of anysuitable material, which may or maynot be under ground, and which, asrepresented, consists of two parallel lines, which are adapted fortraffic in opposite directions upon one or two streets, and which areunited at one or both' ends by a curve, A,

which is as broad or large as possible, if the two portions of the tubeare placed upon opposite sides of a single street. The two parallelportions are intended to be united at both to be loaded or unloaded.

ends in all cases where cars pass-from one to I the other.

At certain intervals in the tube A, where it is desired to have stoppingplaces or stations, I arrange two gates or valves, B B, at a distanceapart more than sufficient to receive a train or car between them, andthe space 0 between the gates or valves I term stations.

At each station is a branch pipe or tube, 1), which communicates withthe main tube A behind and outside the gate or valve B, and in advanceof and outside the gate or valve B, and in any or all of the branchpipes along the line are arranged pumps E, which'are here shown asrotary pumps, though air-pumps of any construction might be employed.Each pump E exhausts air from the tube A behind the gate or valve B ofthe station at which it is placed, and forces air into the said tube inadvance of the gate B, and it will be clearly understood that theseveral pumps produce a continuous current of air through the tube A.

When it is desired to stop a car at any station the gate or valve Bot'that s ation is shut, and as the car approaches said gate it iscushioned by the air ahead ot'it,and finally stopped without jar orshock. Ofcourse brakes might be used forstopping the ears. The gate orvalve B is afterward closed, thus isolating the station trom the tube Aand permitting the tube to be opened at that point to enable the carsWhen the car is to be started the gate or valve B is o; ened; and inorder to first start the car I employ a tube or pipe, F, extending fromthe discharge side of a pump, E, to the station 0 between the two gatesB B and in rear of the car G, which is shown at one-of the stations,and, by delivering air between the closed gate or valve B and the rearof the car, impel the latter forward. When the air is to be used forstarting the car a valve or gate, .9, in the branch tube D is closed todirect air through the starting pipe or tube F.

In order to aid in starting the cars, the track a between the gates Band B is preferably inclined, or has adescending portion, a, as shown inFig. 2, and the car is stopped upon said incline. As here shown, thebottom of said incline a is on a level with the main portion of thetube, and a second incline, at, extending downwardly in the reversedirection,is formed in the track. The cars will then have to ascend oneincline, which will assist in stopping them, and will stop upontheotherincline, upon which they may be readily started. The twoinclines in the track are here formed by inclining the tube A; but theymight be formed by using a straight tube and inclining the track withinthe tube. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the tube A is round or cylindric;but it may be square or rectangular in transverse section, or of otherdesired form.

The car G is provided with wheels I), whichrun upon the track-rails a;and in order to properly guide the car I provide the two sides and uppersurface of the tube with guiderails translucent material,

0, and I provide the car with guide rollers or wheels d for running uponsaid guide-rails.

In the sides of the tube A may be provided openings, which arefittedwith tightly-sealed windows e, of glass or other transparent or to admitlight to the tube A.

In order to adaptthe car for turning curves of comparativelysmallradius, I construct it of separate sections, each section beingcomposed of a platform-section, f, and an u right portion, g, to whichthe guide rollers or wheels d are pivoted.

The several car-sections are hinged or pivoted together at h, and areeach adapted to turn on its pivot, as may be necessary in rounding acurve.

Referring now to Fig. 5, A designates the tube in which the tracks a arelaid, and the two parallel sections of which are united by curves A. Thetube A is provided wi h valves or gates B B, which form stations ordepots between them. E de ignates an air-pump, which I empl y to exhaustthe air in advance of the cars G, and to create a pressure behind them.

This pump communicates on one side v with a vacuum-equalizing chamber,E, which communica es through a pipe, D, with the tube A behind andoutside the gate B, and from which the air is exhausted by the pump; andthe said pump c mpresses airin a pressureequalizing chamber, E whichcommunicates through a pipe, D, with the tube Ain advance ot'and outsidethe gate B. The chambers E! E serve to maintain a uniform degree of vacuum and pressure, and enable the cars to be operated smoothly and at auniform speed, notwithstanding any small variations in the speed of thepump. The two chambers E E with the pipes D D, may be considered asforming a pipe or passage around the station, similar to one of thepipes D shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 6, A A designate two tubes, which extend betweentwo terminal stations, 0, and provide for traffic in oppositedirections. These tubes are broken away to reduce thclength of thedrawings, and between the two terminal stations each tube may have anynumber of intermediate or way stations, which are formed by gates orvalves B B, and turnout or branch tubes D,and one or more of thesebranch tubes may haveinthemair-pumps, as previously described. Ateachterminal station G is a pressure-equalizing chamber, E, whichcommunicates with the tube for outgoing traffic outside the gates by apipe, H, and a similar vacuum equalizing chamber, E, which communicateswith the tube for incoming tratfic outside the gates by a pipe, H. Ateach terminal station 0 is an air-pump, E, which constantly operates toexhaust air from the vacuum-chamber E and compress air in thepressure-chamber E At each terminal station 0 are gates or valves B B,the former of which are always closed when a car is at the station. I

It will be seen that my invention possesses great advantages, becausewhen the pumps are arranged in the branch tubes a car is enabled to makea complete circuit of-the tube-as,for instance, cars might be runcontinuously round and round in a circular tube without changing theirdirection. As here iepresented in Fig. 1, the railway is only adaptedfor 'runningcars in one direction, and it it is desired to run cars ineither direction two starting-pipes, F, should extend one from each sideof the pump to the opposite end of each station, and two valves, 8, beprovided, one on each side of the pump.

What I claim as my, invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The combinatiomfwith a pneumatic-railway tube, and two gates orvalves forming a station between them, of a branch air-tubecommunicating with said main tube behind and in advance of said gates orvalves, a pump in said branch air-tube, and a pipe forconducting airfromthe discharge of said pump to the main tube between said gates orvalves and in rear of a car, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a pneumatic-railway tube provided with pairs ofgates, forming stations between them, and a pump for compressing air insaid tube behind the cars, of a pressure-equalizin g cham her into whichair is forced by said pump, and from which com pressed air is conductedto said tube outside the gates, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a pneumatic-railway tube provided with pairs ofgates forming stations between them, and a pump for exhausting airfromthe tube in front of the cars,of a vacuum-equalizingchamber intowhich air is conducted from said tube outside the gates, and from whichair is exhausted b said pump, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with a pneumatic-railway tube provided with pairs ofgates forming stations between them, of pressure and vacuum equalizingchambers, both of which are' in communication with said tube outsidesaid gates, and a pump for exhausting air from said vacuum-chamber andcompressing air in Eaid pressure-chamber, substantially as speci- 5. Thecombination, with two parallel pneumatic-railway tubes extending betweentwo terminal stations, providing for trafiic in 0pposite directions, andprovided with pairs of gates or valves forming stations between them, ofa pump at each station for exhausting air from the tube for incomingtraffic outside said pairs of gates, and at the same time compressingthe air so exhausted and supplying it under pressure to the tube foroutgoing traffic outside said pairs of gates, substan tially asspecified.

' 6. The combination, with two pneumatic-railway tubes extending betweentwo terminal stations, providing for traffic in opposite directions, andprovided with pairs of gates forming stations between them, of pressureand vacuum equalizing chambers at each station, the former communicatingwith the tube for outgoing traffic outside said gates and the lattercommunicating with the tube for-incoming traffic outside said gates, anda pump at each station for exhausting air from the vacuum-chamber andcompressing it in the pressni e-chamber, substantially as specified.

7. The combination, with a pneumatic-ram way tube containing acar-track, and having guide-rails upon its sides and upper portion, ofcars adapted to run upon said track, and provided with guiderollers orwheels for running upon said guide-rails, substantially as specified.

ELIAS P. NEEDHAM.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL KILPATRIGK, ()HAs. A. NEEDHAM.

